16th Asian Games draw to close at colourful ceremony

GUANGZHOU - The 16th edition of the Asian Games drew to a close through a festive, colourful ceremony here Saturday night.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, who hailed the Guangzhou games “the best ever Asian Games” in history, declared the 16-day long mega event closed in front of nearly 30,000 spectators on the island.

China, with 199 gold, 119 silver and 98 bronze, topped the table for the eighth straight time, smashing its best gold tally of 183, set in the 1990 Beijing Games, Xinhua reported.

Thirty-six out of the 45 participating teams won medals in the 16-day games, in which South Korea garnered 232 medals, including 76 gold, beating Japan to a distant third with 48 gold among 216 medals.